Watercourse Pollution due to Surface Runoff following Slurry Spreading. Part I: Calibration of the Soil Water Simulation Model SOIL for Fields Prone to Surface Runoff

Abstract

The Swedish soil water model SOIL has been calibrated for several drained fields in Scotland and Ireland. Drainage efficiency in these fields varies, with inefficient drainage systems leading to saturated profiles and large surface runoff flows. The model has been modified to represent drainflow in typical Scottish and Irish fields in which permeable backfill extending to the surface is present directly above plot drains. When the conductivity of the backfill material is low, surface runoff is shown to be enhanced in specific soil types. Overall, the predictions of the modified model are in reasonably good agreement (as shown by the efficiency factor values) with measured water table levels, drain and surface runoff flows in these fields. These calibrated fields are to be used in subsequent work on pollution from surface runoff following slurry spreading. A useful indicator of potential runoff risk in such systems is the total saturated hydraulic conductivity of the profile, defined here as arising from the combination of the saturated soil and drain conductivities. Fields are classified into high risk if the conductivity of the profile is lower than 6 mm/d, low risk if the conductivity is greater than 18 mm/d, and moderate risk for intermediate conductivities. A sensitivity analysis of the model with regard to drain and surface runoff flows, varying the drain spacing, a backfill resistance term, the soil matrix and macropore saturated hydraulic conductivities, soil porosity and the pore size distribution index, is also presented. This analysis shows that in order of increasing importance, backfill resistance, macropore saturated hydraulic conductivity and drain spacing, have the largest effect on the generation of surface runoff.